STOP Doing This Throwing Drill

March 3, 2016

(Click for a .pdf of this newsletter)

There are many good throwing drills out there but also some awful ones. The drill I continue to see done is the 1-knee throwing drill (click here to watch the drill).

There are 3 reasons why this drill is terrible for throwing mechanics:

Increasing glove movement

Just as increased hand movement disrupts hitting mechanics, increased glove movement decreases throwing motion consistency.

Collapsing the back

Just as hitters learn 1 way to swing, baseball players should learn 1 way to throw and this includes pitching. The concept of "following through" shoudl ONLY include the throwing arm, not the upper body.

Making pitchers bend their back when they throw creates an inconsistent release point. If bending the back when throwing supposedly increases velocity, why don't we teach position players to do it?

As I teach my students, "Don't throw down. Throw out."

Increasing head movement

Just as a hitter keeps their head centered as they swing, the pitcher's head should stay centered as they rotate to the release point. A 2004 study showed that increased head movement decreases throwing consistency:

START doing this drill...

I learned this drill from Tom House at the National Pitching Association (click here to go to the NPA site) and it's THE BEST throwing drill I've ever seen. It's called the 2-knee drill and it's available in my video library (click here to learn more).

The 2-knee drill fixes all 3 movement/posture problems at the same time by

Minimizing glove movement

Maintaining proper back posture

Minimizing head movement

The National Pitching Association recommends throwing in the 2-knee drill up to your pitching distance.

Have Questions About This Newsletter?

Contact (631-352-7654 / PitchingDoc@msn.com) Dr. Arnold!